Law and Disorder
by SUITELIFEFAN
Summary: Trafalgar Law was getting caught up in the Strawhats' "pace", and he wasn't exactly unhappy about it. Law x Strawhats nakamaship. A series of mini one-shots with Law interacting with individual crew members. Reviews Appreciated.
1. Sanji

**Law and Disorder - Chapter 1**

**Sanji**

When their guest, ex-shichibukai Trafalgar Law, had volunteered to take the next watch, the crew had been somewhat surprised. Before they had docked onto the shores of Dressrosa, the pirate captain had tried to be involved with as little of the crew's antics and daily rituals as possible, settling with sitting sullenly against one of the ship's masts and staring out into the distance, only responding with single-line answers when he was spoken to. However, now that the terror of Dressrosa had finally been defeated, it seemed that the smug but warm Law that they had first met on Sabaody Archipelago was back, seeming quietly grateful for their assistance in what was meant to be a near impossible and suicidal endeavor.

But they had succeeded, as the Strawhats always did.

Law had warmed up to the crew considerably after that, and fueled by the thought of seeing his own crew again in the very near future, he appeared significantly more calm and less argumentative whenever someone on the crew did something silly or brought up something that he didn't quite agree with. Law sometimes even found himself roped into the crew's shenanigens, and though he was still obviously uncomfortable with some of the attention that the Strawhats were piling upon him, he had gradually grown accustomed to their wild and carefree personalities.

He couldn't help but be drawn into their "pace".

The crew had first declined when Law volunteered his services, stating that he was a guest onboard their ship and shouldn't have to participate in their nightly watches, but after he mentioned that all he would need to do was to create one massive room around the perimeter of the ship over the ocean and he would be able to sense anything entering or leaving it, everyone was sold. After a few loud but polite "good-nights" from the various crew members, Law had settled himself in the crow's nest. Taking a deep breath, he spread the fingers in his right fist open and created a large room that encircled the ship and a vast expanse of sea. Law's breathing felt somewhat more laboured as compared to when he usually attempted to make one of his rooms, but he chalked it up to the strain of fixing his right arm and the massive damage that he had sustained whilst on Dressrosa after everything was done. It was still no cause for concern. Law was, after all, much stronger than he was two years ago.

After about fifteen minutes of silent watching (or sensing, in Law's case), the surgeon of death couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable when the harsh winds of the night flooded into the crow's nest and bit at his flesh. His clothes didn't do much to defend against the cold air, and Law was so used to being in his heated submarine underneath the seas that being on the highest point of the ship in the middle of a cold night was a somewhat foreign experience. He might have been able to move some of the air within his room to create a soft barrier from the wind on any other day, but his partial exhaustion made doing that and simultaneous surveillance of the ocean a near impossible task.

Just as Law was about to resign himself to simply toughing it out for the next few hours, he heard the sound of shoes stepping onto the ladder that led into the crow's nest. Seconds later, a tray emerged from the trapdoor in the ground, followed by a head full of blond hair. As Law confirmed the darkened figure to belong to Blackleg Sanji, he let his guard down for a moment to address the man.

"Blackleg-ya."

"Law. How are the seas looking tonight?"

"Calm, which is a very good thing, I would suppose. I'm more used to travelling underneath the surface of the ocean."

"That's great. Here, this is for you."

Law stared wordlessly as the ship's cook placed the tray laden with perfectly-formed balls of fresh onigiri, a plate of grilled tuna and a cup of steaming hot cocoa onto one of the ship's swordsman's enormous weights. A little confused by the gesture, Law looked back up at Sanji, who already had his back turned to him and was preparing to step back down the ladder.

"You made this specially for me?"

Sanji seemed a little puzzled by his question, but answered it anyway.

"Oh, yeah. I always make a little something for whoever's on watch for the night. Usually I make sandwiches, but I remember saying after Punk Hazard that you didn't like bread, right? Onigiri is quick and easy to do, plus Usopp had caught extra fish the week before and the tank in the aquarium bar is practically overflowing with them. Perfect opportunity to make use of the fish, don't you think?"

Law remained silent for a moment, still a little taken aback to the concern that the cook had shown to someone who wasn't on their crew. From what he had observed of the hot-headed blond cook, Sanji was remarkably protective over both his crew and the food that he made, always ensuring that everyone was properly fed and finished everything that he placed in front of them during mealtimes, sometimes even forcing food down the crew's first-mate's throat when he decided to skip a meal to train. His temper disguised his true intention of making sure the swordsman never went hungry, one of the many observations that Law had silently made as he watched the crew's day-to-day interactions. His food was also, admittedly, some of the most delicious that Law had ever had anywhere along the high seas.

It was a little...odd to think that said cook had actually went out of his way to prepare food that he knew would be to his liking.

"Thank you for the food, Blackleg-ya."

Sanji merely shrugged as he reached into his jacket pocket for a fresh cigarette and his lighter.

"No need to thank me. I'm the cook, after all. I'm here to make sure no one goes hungry. And now that you're on the Thousand Sunny, you're part of us, are you not?"

Sanji then turned back to the trapdoor and started his descent back down to the deck, not staying long enough to notice Law's look of utter shock at the seemingly casual tone that the cook had just used to state that he regarded Law to be one of _them_. Law's eyes remained fixed on the open trapdoor for a few short moments as he continued to contemplate what Sanji had just said, before sighing resignedly to himself and turning his gaze to the tray of aromatic food sitting atop giant weights. The crew was making it harder and harder day after day for him to maintain the fact that he was involved with them in a professional alliance, not a friendly relationship. As he stared back out into the distance, he grabbed at one of the balls of onigiri and raised it to his mouth, chewing contemplatively.

He stopped and stared down at the rice ball in surprise when he tasted its seasoning. He vaguely recalled Sanji mentioning to him before that he had also been born in that particular part of the world, and a warm feeling of nostalgia filled him.

Spices from North Blue.

He didn't know if Sanji had prepared the food knowing that he would appreciate it, or if it was just merely a culinary coincidence. In any case, as Law sat up there in the crow's nest eating his food, drinking hot cocoa and thinking about the future, he felt more comfortable and relaxed than he had ever felt in a very long time. Doflamingo was defeated, Corazon was avenged, and he was about to see his crew again, all thanks to the help of the Strawhats.

Law allowed himself a small smile at the thought. This crew really was something else.

* * *

**Author's Note** \- Welcome, everyone, to Law and Disorder. This is basically a small set of stories involving interactions between Law and every member of the Strawhat crew. This story, of course, assumes that the crew somehow met up again after the events of Dressrosa and are in the midst of sailing towards Zou. I started off here with Sanji as food is a fantastic writing device (at least, I think so). Hope you all enjoyed it. The next chapter will be based off someone else from the crew, and this entire set of stories will be finished once I've covered everyone.

Reviews appreciated.

~SUITELIFEFAN


	2. Franky

**Law and Disorder - Chapter 2**

**Franky**

Law had been spending a perfectly good morning sitting in the aquarium bar of the Thousand Sunny, enjoying a nice cup of coffee and minding his own business, when he was suddenly shaken out of his peaceful stupor by a barrage of flailing limbs that crashed into him and sent him sprawling across the cushioned seats. Trying to regain his composure and ignore the barely concealed grins of the two women sitting on lawn chairs just outside the bar, he tried to stand but noticed that something was weighing him down. He then raised his head, only to find the widely grinning captain of the Strawhat crew sitting on his chest and tugging at his arms.

"Law! Come play with us!"

From the windows of the aquarium bar, Law could see the crew's sharpshooter and doctor engaging in some sort of odd game that Law couldn't quite place a finger on, mainly involving sticking chopsticks up one's nose and placing the other ends in one's mouth. Just as Law was about to grunt in indignation and tell Luffy that there was no way he was going to play any game, not to mention such an undignified one as that, he was saved from the captain's inability to accept refusal by the familiar sound of iron feet on wood and a nasally voice that was, for some reason, calling out his name.

"Hey! Law-bro! I need your help for something!"

Luffy got off Law's chest and huffed.

"He's playing a game with us, Franky!"

"He can play with you later! This is important!"

Law then felt himself practically getting manhandled away from the chaos that was about to unfold on the deck and down a hatch from behind the bar that led its way into what he assumed to be the basement of the ship. On any other day, he would have shouted at Franky for picking him up as though he were a child or an invalid, but he kept his mouth shut, quietly grateful to the shipwright for saving him from the crazy captain's antics. As both Law and Franky disappeared into the basement, Law caught a glimpse of the ship's hot-headed cook emerging from the kitchen before planting three hard kicks onto the heads of the criminals involved in the crime of stealing and defiling his precious kitchen utensils.

"I'm working on something new, Law-bro, and I kinda need some advice."

"I'll try my best with that if you set me back down on my feet, Robo-ya."

With that, the two steady-footedly made their way into the innards of the ship. Law glanced left and right, mildly curious with what existed within the inner sanctums of his ally's massive pirate ship. Franky, as though reading his mind, took the liberty to slow his pace and gesture to the numerous areas that were tucked underneath the main deck, for example his personal weapons workshop and Usopp's factory, where the sharpshooter constructed his shooting devices. It provided Law a glimpse into the intricacies of the numerous hobbies of the Strawhat crew, and as he looked around at the construction of the ship admirably, he realised how homely the entire place looked even when he was looking at its inner workings.

Law was so busy silently taking in his surroundings that he almost didn't notice Franky stop in his tracks, narrowly avoiding bumping into the metal cyborg, which would undoubtedly have been quite painful. As Franky stepped away from his field of vision, Law took a glance around where they had stopped, and exhaled loudly, impressed.

That was to say, he was impressed by what he saw although he had no idea _what_ it was.

"What's this?"

Law would have sworn that had saw a little tear emerging from the corner of Franky's eye as the man beamed around at the massive circular room.

"My pride and joy, Law-bro. This is the Soldier Dock system. Even if I were to say so myself...it's SUPAAAAAR!"

Franky then struck his usual dramatic pose, one that Law had almost gotten used to by then, "almost" being the key word. He stared at the tall man a little awkwardly, waiting for him to continue speaking.

"Every single one of these six channels contains a vehicle that can be released from the side of the ship as long as the channel's door is aligned to the hull. I know you were with us from the moment we left Punk Hazard, but I don't think you've had a chance to see the system in action just yet, so I'll just explain it to you now, Law-bro. Channel 0 used to contain two paddles that could be used to manually move the ship in water, but I recently removed the paddles and replaced them with an engine placed directly under the ship, thus leaving the two channels that it occupied free for more vehicles. Channel 6 just releases an inflatable pool, but that's a different thing altogether."

Law nodded. He wasn't surprised that the two crazy people and one reindeer that were busy getting kicked around by the ship's cook just above them on the deck would like an enclosed area to swim in, and with all the novelties and luxuries that their ship had onboard, Law would have been surprised if the Thousand Sunny was _not_ equipped with an inflatable pool.

"The one I need your help with, Law-bro, is in Channel 3. Behold!"

Franky pulled a lever back, causing the door containing whatever was in Channel 3 to slide open slowly. When the entire compartment was exposed, Law raised an eyebrow at the sight of the menacing looking miniature ship, which had been adorned with an outer skin that looked very much like a shark. As he perused the shark's teeth even more closely, he realised that the shark's mouth was essentially covered by a massive pane of glass. He then spotted the periscope sticking very conspicuously out of the shark's head, and his eyes widened in recognition.

"Is this...a submarine?"

Franky's eye lit up at Law's question, obviously pleased that he had come to such a quick and accurate conclusion.

"Hell yeah! This is the Shark Submerge III. I designed it two years ago and thought it was due for an upgrade. Then I remembered that your ship is essentially one massive submarine, so I was hoping you could give me some input into the design!"

Law couldn't help but feel a sense of bewilderment at being requested to help the Strawhat's shipwright out with designing their mobile submarine. The cyborg had obviously done an incredible job in the construction of the Sunny, and was more than capable to construct a miniature submarine. Law was impressed with how Franky had somehow succeeded in making the Sunny look domineering and yet fun and homely at the same time. While Law himself would not have chosen a particularly "fun" design for his ship, the Sunny suited the Strawhat crew perfectly, with its Lion figurehead and bright colours. He somehow felt that the person _least_ likely to need help in _his_ area of expertise would be the tall man standing in front of him at that moment, looking so excited at the idea of tinkering with the shark that Law didn't quite know what to say.

"I'm not really much of a shipwright, Robo-ya. I don't think I'd be able to help you much with the submarine's design. You're more than qualified to handle it yourself."

"But you're the captain of a submarine, aren't ya, Law-bro? You seem like the kind of guy who would be concerned over everything on your ship working perfectly, so I'm sure you'd be able to give some input into the workings of the ship. Besides, the current maximum depth of this baby over here is 5,000 metres. I need some help with figuring out how to increase its diving limit!"

Law didn't know if it was Franky's blinding enthusiasm, or the fact that he felt a little flattered (though he'd never admit it) at being asked to help out with an engineer's job, or the fact that he really didn't want to get roped into playtime with the three crazies upstairs, but he eventually found himself sitting cross-legged on the wooden floor, pointing at various areas of the menacing looking craft and throwing out smidgens of advice, fetching tools from Franky's workshop with his ability, watching as the Strawhat's shipwright took apart and inserted metal parts into the belly of the shark with a working speed that he had never imagined to be possible. He had never found much of a common ground with the cyborg, but he somehow felt something akin to contentment deep within himself as he sat there watching him work.

It was an oddly comfortable feeling, being an assistant shipwright.

The Strawhat crew was a very strange crew indeed.

* * *

**Author's Note** \- This mini chapter was tough for two reasons. Firstly, I had to do some research into the inner workings of the Sunny to make sure I didn't screw up as I wrote about it. Secondly, Law really does have very few points of similarity with Franky, making it hard for me to create a situation where they'd be able to be together in the same room and do something. I only could think up the submarine thing, so I went with that. Apologies if this chapter seemed a little lacklustre, but I had to cover Franky at some point anyway.

And I'm not usually one to plug, but stop by my two other new One Piece oneshots, "Similarities" and "Fashion Tips", and give them some love.

Reviews Appreciated.

~SUITELIFEFAN


	3. Chopper

**Law and Disorder - Chapter 3**

**Chopper**

"Your arm is healing quite well."

Law nodded as he sat on the observation table of the Sunny's infirmary, waiting patiently as he was prodded and poked by furry hooves. Being an exceptionally well-trained doctor, and with the aid of his devil fruit, Law was more than capable at fixing up his own injuries by himself. However, he had never sustained as severe an injury as when Doflamingo cut his right arm off back in Dressrosa, and although he had quickly set the arm back in place after the fight, he figured there'd be no harm with getting a second opinion from another fellow doctor, even if said doctor was a tanuki-sized reindeer.

There was also the matter of Chopper practically herding him into his infirmary the moment the team from Dressrosa returned to the ship, stating very sternly that as long as he was on the ship, there was no way he was avoiding a medical examination. Law had resolved not to tell his crew when he met them that he had been treated like a farm animal by the Strawhat's reindeer.

"All done. You don't even need a cast. Just try not to move the arm too much until we reach Zou."

"Thank you, Tony-ya."

With that, Law put his shirt back on. Reaching for his hat, he grabbed it by its bill and placed it back on his head, only to realise that Chopper was staring wide-eyed at the piece of clothing with an expression akin to wonder and longing not unlike that of a child. Looking at the reindeer's childish expression, the captain of the Heart Pirates couldn't help but recall to himself that he was almost ten years older than Chopper was. A little disconcerted by his own realisation, Law turned to the door of the infirmary, preparing to return to the main deck, but before he could do so, a small voice chirped up from behind him.

"That's a nice hat. It's all soft and furry!"

Law found himself at a loss for words at Chopper's to-the-point declaration of his hat's softness and furriness, and felt himself grow a little red as he recalled (to his chagrin) the incredibly embarassing experience of having the doctor tied to the top of his hat, and of being the momentary butt of jokes for the Strawhat crew back on Punk Hazard. Law wasn't one to embarass easily, but that earlier debacle had been one of those rare moments (It startled him how much this particular crew was able to embarass him). A little unsure of how to respond to the doctor's innocent remark, he resisted the urge to merely huff and walk away like he usually did in favor of trying to say something nice in response, making up excuses to himself that the doctor _had_ helped looked him over, and that _no, he was not getting soft in the face of the tiny humanoid reindeer_.

Clearing his throat a little awkwardly, he looked the crew's doctor in the eye before speaking.

"Thank you. Your hat is nice as well."

Law couldn't have anticipated the reindeer's next reaction. Chopper immediately blushed furiously red before planting his feet together and wiggling his body to and fro, all whilst speaking in a voice that was somehow even higher than his normal speaking voice, spluttering and cooing as he did so.

"Don't think saying compliments like that will make me happy, idiot!"

Law deadpanned.

"Can I try it on?"

Usually, Law wouldn't even have considered entertaining such a ridiculous request. It seemed like an even stupider request when he repeated it to himself in his head. However, there usually wasn't a little reindeer looking at him with big watery eyes, hooves clenched together in a begging fashion that made him look remarkably human, all whilst somehow simultaneously looking starry-eyed at how amazed he was by his hat and looking like he would burst into tears if Law denied his request. Apparantly, as Law found out about himself that day, _that_ was all it took for him to remove his precious hat from his head and hand it over to the reindeer, who was practically vibrating in excitement as he tugged his own pink hat off his head, pushed it into Law's empty hands, and placed Law's hat in between his antlers. The word "adorable" popped up in his head for a second before Law squashed it with unrestrained vehemance.

Law cursed himself inwardly. Maybe he really was getting soft.

"It's so soft! Try mine on!"

Law looked down at Chopper's own hat in his hands and cringed. The hat was far too childish and brightly coloured for his liking, with its sky blue color, white dots and pink interior. He really, _really_ didn't want to put it on. However, there was something about Chopper, about this _entire crew, _that made him do things he didn't want to or think of doing. Despite him starting to harbour strong suspicions that the doctor had sprayed the air with some kind of "softening" drug of his own invention, Law signed resignedly to himself before dusting stray strands of reindeer fur out of the interior of the hat before placing it gently on his own head.

Law silently thanked the heavens that Chopper had declared the infirmary a quiet space. It was therefore unlikely that other members of the crew would barge in and catch him in such a disarming situation.

"Does your hat mean anything special?"

Law had been so preoccupied with his own thoughts that he didn't hear Chopper's initial question, only realising that he was being spoken to when he felt a small poke on his leg from something that felt suspiciously like a hoof. Chopper repeated his question patiently, and as Law was pondering how to go about answering it, Chopper himself spoke up first.

"Mine means something special. Dr Hiluluk gave it to me before he died. It's a constant reminder of my dream to become a doctor who can cure any disease in the world. You're a doctor too, so maybe you can understand. Luffy's hat means something special too. He said that Shanks, the red-haired Yonkou, gave it to him and asked him to keep it safe, and to return it to him once he became a great pirate. That story is awesome! So, does yours mean anything special?"

Law thought silently to himself for a few seconds, before speaking to an expectant Chopper.

"No, it doesn't."

Chopper didn't seem satisfied with his answer.

"It doesn't?"

"I've always had that hat ever since I was a child, even before I can even remember having memories. I wear it because I don't think I've ever gone without it, that's all."

"Then it means something special!"

Law blinked at the reindeer, who was beaming at him happily.

"It does?"

"Sure! You wear the hat because it reminds you of the past, of what you once experienced, just like Luffy and me! Our hats are momentos of the past and reminders of the future, and yours is too! "

Law could have spoken the truth at that point of time. He could have mentioned to Chopper about the flaw in his logic, that his hat actually didn't remind him of any goal that he had in the future, that he only wore it because his head felt cold without it. But as he heard the little reindeer who wanted to one day cure any disease continue to chatter on cheerfully about hats and dreams, he felt a small smile growing on his face. Speaking the truth would completely spoil the moment of solidarity that they were having, and even the Surgeon of Death had no intention of doing something as mean as that.

Wanting to cure any disease was quite a noble dream, after all.

Later that day, various crew members found themselves turning their heads at the sound of an especially happy Chopper prancing up and down the ship, a paw-printed white fur hat stuck firmly on his head. Law scratched a little through the blue and pink one adorning his own head, feeling a little itchy about the whole thing, and threw Nico Robin a look as she smiled bemusedly at the comical image of him wearing their doctor's treasured hat, daring her to say something about the situation. She, very mercifully, didn't.

Unfortunately, their captain was nowhere nearly as merciful about hats and comical images.

* * *

**Author's Note - **There were so many things I was tempted to put into this one. I wanted to mention how Chopper was jealous of Law's power and how easy doctoring was with that power. I also wanted to have Law comfort Chopper about what seemed like an inpossible dream. I decided in the end that that would make a "Chopper" chapter far too heavy though, so I went for cute. It's hard to resist cute, and though people might complain about Chopper being reduced to a simple One Piece mascot, I'm in the group of people that fully believes that its possible to be cute and badass at the same time.

Embrace your cuteness, Chopper-kun.

Reviews Appreciated.

~SUITELIFEFAN


	4. Usopp

**Law and Disorder - Chapter 4**

**Usopp**

The sudden attack had been a little surprising, but no one on the Strawhat crew appeared particularly fazed by it. Law assumed that being on the high seas for a while had taught them, if anything, to never be surprised by anything, and when another pirate ship with some of the most textbook-esk pirates that they had ever seen appeared next to the Sunny and crew started boarding their ship within warning, the Strawhats' reactions had been somewhat anticlimactic.

The navigator had merely sighed, muttering about her afternoon nap being disturbed, before snatching up her weapon. The archaeologist had chuckled lightly before crossing her hands and dispatching a few of the invaders by breaking their necks almost instantaneously. The shipwright had yelled angrily about his deck being dirtied and punched the person closest to him off the ship. The first mate and the cook, instead of getting right into it, actually had a tiny argument that, based on what Law could hear, sounded like a start of a competition to see who could get the most enemies. The captain, crazy as he always was, was punching his way through waves upon waves of severely undermatched opponents, seemingly spurred on by the dramatic battle tune being played by the ship's musician (Law could see enemies around the musician being cut or falling asleep despite no obvious attacking moves from the skeleton, for some reason). The only proper reactions were those from the ship's doctor and sharpshooter, who both looked somewhat nervous to see new attackers, but who were holding their own despite being scared.

Law assumed that the fact that his ally's small crew had gotten so far along the Grand Line with so few people was, perhaps, testament to their strength.

On any ordinary day, Law would have simply created one of his rooms and swapped the attacking pirates with seawater. He was, however, still somewhat weakened by back-to-back fights with somebody particularly evil back on Dressrosa, and therefore settled with assisting the Strawhats (who seemed to be doing perfectly fine without his help, if he were to be honest) by cleaning up the enemies who tried to ambush them from behind. He told himself that he was troubling himself with helping them because they were in an alliance, _not_ because he cared about them.

He was adament about that.

Law almost scoffed to himself about five minutes into the start of the fighting, when it became remarkably clear to him that not only were the attacking pirates terribly outmatched, but the Strawhat crew actually seemed like they were having the time of their lives dispatching people off their ship. Law remained at the back, watching over their antics, feeling a twinge of excitement run through him as he saw their expressions that indicated that they were almost thrilled to have unexpected company. As somebody approached him, he raised his sword and smashed the back of its blade down onto the head of the attacking pirate who was foolish enough to approach him and not recognise him as an ex-shichibukai who was just on the news, kicking the man's limp body down into the merciless seas of the New World.

Even without using his powers, Law had exceptional analytical skills, and a quick perusing of the enemy's ship had pointed out to him that there was a lone man standing on one of its masts, unmoving since the start of their battle. Any other person would have shrugged and turned away after seeing that the man had not done anything for over five minutes, but any other person was _not_ Trafalgar Law, who was so chronically on-edge about everything that that characteristic of his sometime seemed more like a curse than a blessing. Law continued to beat down and slice members of the invading crew, but continuously threw sharp glances at the single person, wondering what his motives were.

Then, he saw the man reach for a gun that had been hidden next to him, cock it at an alarming speed, and take aim. Law followed the potential trajectory of the bullet with his eyes, and realised it led right to a man who was fighting a significant distance away from him, wielding a black slingshot and blasting enemies to shreds with explosive seeds.

Law felt his heart seize up for a second. He shouted as loudly as he could.

"Oi! Nose-ya!"

Usopp didn't appear to hear him, still concentrating on mixing combinations of his plants and blasting people's faces.

Law swore under his breath as he directed his gaze back at the enemy sniper, whose finger was already on the trigger of his gun and was preparing to shoot. Realising that trying to call for Usopp under the utter racket that had overtaken the Thousand Sunny was futile, and somewhat concerned by the fact that the Strawhat's sniper didn't seem that strong in the first place, Law raised his hand and adjusted his fingers into a familiar circular position, quickly making mental calculations of his current strength and trying to factor in the fact he had just taken the ship's doctor's painkillers and was still somewhat drowsy from the pills. It was necessary, considering the fact that although the powers of the Ope Ope were useful, they took up a significant portion of his stamina.

The sniper squeezed the trigger. Law's eyes narrowed as a sphere of blue appeared in his right hand.

"Ro-"

Right before he expanded his room and swapped the bullet in the air for something that was significantly more harmless, Law watched as Usopp appeared to sense the eminant danger that was approaching him. Forcefully pushing the enemy that was right next to him away, Usopp redirected his slingshot by spinning around a massive hundred and eighty degrees with inhuman speed and fired the projectile contained within it without even a split second of hesitation. His aim was perfect, as his explosive speed made contact with the enemy's bullet halfway through the air, causing a massive mid-air explosion that showered organic shrapnel onto enemies unfortunate enough to be directly below the blast. The enemy's sniper then clutched his chest and fell off the ship, penetrated by a second round that Usopp had apparently fired after his first, the Strawhat's sharpshooter having fired so quickly that his hand movements were practically undetectable.

Law's eyes widened in astonishment, the room in his hands disappating.

He then watched as Usopp, for some reason, turned to look in his direction before the long-nosed man's expression crumpled into alarm.

"Law! Behind you!"

The painkillers had apparently taken more out of Law than he had previously anticipated, as he had failed to sense the presence of a single swordsman who had sneaked up behind him and was wielding what looked like a blade lined with seastone. Now that the man was in such close proximity, Law could practically feel the dulling aura of the devil fruit nullifying substance in the air behind him. Realising that it was a little too late to raise his sword, Law took a hesitant step back, only to watch as the swordsman's head with split open by a single round to his forehead, the man's grip on his sword loosening as he crumpled lifelessly to the ground, the weapon falling with a clatter onto the deck of the Sunny.

Law shot another glance back up at the Strawhat's sharpshooter, only to see him salute him with a cheeky grin on his face before jumping back into the fray, tearing his way through enemies with his destructive plants.

Law smirked. Perhaps he had underestimated "God Usopp" a little.

He cut down another enemy for good measure.

* * *

**Author's Note** \- It's really tough to find connections between Law and a few of the Strawhats. Franky was tough enough, but when I came to Usopp I was honestly stumped. Then I decided to write in a short battle situation, and include the fact that Usopp is underestimated by practically everyone. A showcase of concern and solidarity in the midst of a fight helps out any character, no? Tell me what you think about this little situation in this chapter.

Reviews Appreciated.

~SUITELIFEFAN


	5. Brook

**Law and Disorder - Chapter 5**

**Brook**

Law had spent a grand total of five days on board the Thousand Sunny, and he had barely had sufficient rest. It wasn't because of the fact that he was busy all the time, as there were very few things to do when sailing in the middle of the sea, but it was more to do with the fact that any sleep that he tried to get in the middle of the day would almost definitely be interrupted by some kind of disturbance caused by the various insane crew members of the Strawhat crew. Most of the time, his lack of sleep could be blamed on the antics of a group that he had dubbed in his head as "The Three Crazies" as they went, well, crazy on board the ship, but occasionally he would be awakened by the sound of crazy swords clashing with crazy shoes, or crazy loud hammering, or crazy loud shouting about debts and other crazy woman-ish things.

Law couldn't help but feel like he was slowly going crazy himself.

He knew that it would be very rude of him to shout at the people who not only helped in his revenge, and were also harbouring him aboard their ship, but Law couldn't help but feel that he was getting closer and closer to his breaking point as time went by and the lack of rest started grating on his nerves. As he settled down on the comfortable seats in the aquarium bar, having chosen the place because it was nowhere close to dinner time and it was unlikely that anyone would suddenly walk in, Law laid himself down and shut his eyes, praying hard that he wouldn't be disturbed, swearing to himself that the next person who suddenly woke him would be shouted at, and somehow knowing that he would be unexpectedly woken nonetheless.

True to the general craziness of the situation that Law had found himself in, he was roused from his sleep a mere ten minutes later by the sound of a bow on strings from just outside the aquarium bar. Law swore loudly to himself as he straightened his hat and, remembering his word to himself, opened his mouth to shout, but froze when he realised that he actually recognised the surprisingly familiar tune that was being emitted from the ship's musician's favourite instrument.

Almost on cue, Brook stepped into the aquarium bar humming and strumming, spotted Law on the seats looking dishevelled and tired, and stopped playing, placing a bony hand on his afro sheepishly.

"Law-san, I didn't know you were in here. Did I wake you?"

Law was a little too taken aback by the strong sense of nostalgia that had suddenly overcome him to actually remember that he was tired and pissed off, and instead fell back into his usual routine of a slightly annoyed expression and silent acknowledgment by means of nodding his head.

"My apologies, Law-san. I'll go play somewhere else."

"Hang on, Bone-ya."

It was rare that any Strawhat member would so politely offer to leave so that Law could get his well-deserved sleep, but there was just something in the skeleton's playing that made Law do a double take. He distinctly remembered the tune that Brook had just played which roused him from his slumber, but for some reason he just couldn't quite place it. Also, he knew that it would be impossible to sleep if the tune was stuck in his head and bugging him about its origin.

"I...recognise that tune."

Brook's eyes widened in understanding, though he had no eyes.

"Ah! I understand, Law-san. This is a very popular tune from North Blue. It's very nice, is it not?"

As recollections of his childhood growing up in Frevance flooded back into him, Law felt somewhat wistful as memories that he had tried so badly to flood from his mind broke free from his mental barriers. Only this time, the memories were all good ones, reminding him of the times _before_ his country's massacre, the times where he had set amongst his friends and sang that very same tune around a campfire with them. Law had locked them up along with the bad memories in order to focus on getting revenge on Doflamingo. Now that the demon was dead, Brook's playing of an old tune had been the first thing to slowly release the memories that Law no longer had a reason to keep hidden.

It was a remarkably liberating and sentimental feeling.

Brook placed his bow back onto the strings of his violin and played the same tune yet again, this time singing words that Law assumed belonged to that same song, the violin now playing the harmony to Brook's vocal melody. The musician, though boney in exterior, actually had a fantastic singing voice, and Law couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that he had never had the foresight to recruit a musician to be amongst his own crew. He couldn't help but wonder if one of the reasons that the Strawhat crew was so happy all the time was because of the presence of their musician, who was almost never away from his instrument and who always seemed eager to entertain, even in the case of their captain, who was so hyperactive that Law once saw him request five different songs from the musician in the span of thirty seconds.

"I know more tunes from North Blue, Law-san. Would you like to hear them?"

Law gave the skeleton a genuine smile, and nodded.

And so, as music was the food of love, Brook played on. Tune after tune after tune flowed from his violin, some sounding serene and peaceful whilst others sounding more upbeat and lively. Brook's playing, at some point, attracted the attention of the ship's cook, who grinned at the sight of Law quietly listening to the sounds of North Blue and merely winked at Brook before walking away, not wanting to interrupt what he knew was probably an important moment of nostalgia. He took care to pull an excited rubbery captain away, who had heard the music and was just about to burst into the bar and demand another song.

Law shut his eyes as he allowed his mind to drift away to the past, a past that he had tried so hard to forget. He remembered the times where he played with his friends and his sister, and how much fun they had as children. He remembered the times when he learnt medicine from his father, and the time that the man had taught him that the role of a doctor was to save people's lives. He remembered the times when his mother would sing to him before he went to bed each night...

Brook looked up from his violin after his fifth tune and realised, to his surprise, that their guest had fallen asleep, and was looking more peaceful than the skeleton had ever seen him. Rising silently from his seat, Brook carefully made his way to the entrance of the aquarium bar, taking care not to wake the sleeping doctor with the sound of a boney foot on a creaky floorboard, but still softly playing a lullaby from North Blue with his instrument, letting the music slowly fade away from Law's ears as he walked out onto the deck, all the while quietly smiling to himself.

Music was incredible.

* * *

**Author's Note** \- I felt especially sentimental when writing this, being a musician myself. I can't play the violin (though I have one. Long story, people), but I'm proficient with the piano and guitar. Sanji and Brook have to be the easiest characters to write about, with their connections to food and music, facets of life that can effectively deliver the important emotion of sentimentality that Law has thus far been lacking in the One Piece storyline.

It's a little short, but I didn't want to overdo this and screw it up. Hope you all enjoyed it nonetheless. I personally feel it was a nice change from the combat-short that was the previous chapter.

Reviews Appreciated.

~SUITELIFEFAN


	6. Nami

**Law and Disorder - Chapter 6**

**Nami**

It had taken a total of six days at sea and half the course to Zou, but Law had finally found a place to escape from the insanity that was the Strawhat crew. He didn't know why it had taken him so long to realise that although the crew wreaked havoc boundlessly on the rest of the ship, the area where the two women of the crew sat in the afternoon to rest, drink tea and read a book was the only place that was relatively unscathed by the insanity. Law didn't know if it was simply because the two women were much more serene compared to the rest of the crew, or if the crew's navigator had ensured that they were not disturbed on threat of death, but the actual reason didn't matter to him. All that mattered was that there was a place where he could go untouched.

For that reason, Law simply decided that morning to climb up to the nameless area and settle himself down amidst mikan trees and lawn chairs, grunting as he rested Kikoku by his side and stared at the sky.

While Nico Robin was far too absorbed in one of her lengthy books about history to give him more than a cursory glance and a smile, the ship's navigator was far more taken aback by the sudden presence of a man in the ship's "Beautiful Flower Garden of Two Heavenly Angels", coined by the ship's cook, a name which Law had the misfortune to overhear a few days back when Sanji was delivering afternoon snacks to the two women in said area. For a short moment, Law almost thought that Nami was going to say something about him being there, probably something scathing about this being a private area for females only, but his suspicions were unfounded when Nami merely huffed a little and walked away.

Even Robin looked subtlety surprised by what appeared to be a sudden shift in the navigator's somewhat selfish personality.

Law was far too tired to contemplate about the mysteries of the Strawhat crew, however, and instantly took advantage of the lack of noise by resting his head against the headboard of a lawn chair and shut his eyes, instantly falling into a mild coma mixed with quiet euphoria. Then, something hard landed on his side, causing him to be startled awake for what seemed like the thousandth time in six days. Law opened his eyes to see Nami, hands on her hips and looking considerably stern, staring down at him with an otherwise unreadable expression. Feeling annoyed by what he had believed to be the one of two reasonable people on the crew, Law looked down at the lawn chair he was sitting on and picked up the package that Nami had supposedly thrown at him, staring blankly at it.

Playing cards.

"You. Me. Poker. Now."

Law raised a quizzical eyebrow at Nami's request. While it was true that Law did enjoy the occasional game of cards and deception, which he was markedly good at, he was in no mood and not in an optimal state of mind to participate in any card game, whether or not the person requesting a match was an aggressive lightning-wielding woman or not.

"No."

Nami clenched her fist, clearing having heard an answer that she was not happy with.

"I don't mind you staying here, because you clearly aren't as crazy as the rest of the guys, but I'm going to need some kind of payment. Play a game with me and I promise I'll forget about the fact that you _swapped my body_ back in Punk Hazard, selfishly_split up the crew _on Dressrosa, had some kind of scheme to destroy something for your own sake that you _lied to us about_, and are now riding on our ship _free-of-charge_. Come _on_, Law, you're the only other person on this damn ship that's sane enough for me to play cards with except for Robin, and she doesn't even like gambling!"

For such a petite woman, Nami could be quite intimidating, especially as she listed down the favours that the Strawhats had done for him and the shortcomings that he had as a co-leader of what was supposed to be an alliance. Law honestly didn't care much about whether any feelings were hurt in the process of achieving his goals, but as he sat there silently looking up at a pouting and cross navigator, he had to grudgingly admit to himself that for somebody who had no real ties to anybody on the Strawhat crew, he had been treated exceptionally well, all selfishness considered.

He then spotted what looked like a bemused grin behind a history book, and rolled his eyes in exasperation. Turning to face Nami yet again, he popped open the packet of cards and did a few riffle shuffles, keeping his expression as emotionless as ever as he addressed a now significantly more happy navigator.

"One game, Nami-ya, and you let me stay here in this garden to get some rest."

"One game, and you can stay here for the rest of journey till we reach Zou and meet up with your crew."

Law ceased his shuffling and looked straight into the navigator's eyes. Any other person would have been intimidated by Law's famous deadpan death stare, but Nami didn't even seem fazed, merely excited by what was about to come. Perhaps the navigator was as crazy as the rest of them, in her own unique way.

"You're making a terrible mistake, Nami-ya."

Nami licked her lips in a predatory, cat-like fashion that almost, _almost_, sent a shiver down Law's spine.

"We'll see about that, _Law_."

The Strawhat crew had a knack for the unexpected. That was a fact known to practically everybody in the world, from their fellow pirates to the marines. It wasn't surprising that the crew was completely unpredictable, taking down enemies that appeared far stronger than them and acting in a fashion that made everything think that they were selecting their next moves by rolling dice. Law had expected a short game of one-on-one poker with Nami lasting one hour, at the most. In accordance to the natural order of the unpredictability of the Strawhats, however, it had been a gruelling six hours, and Law was starting to wonder how he had gotten himself into this mess in the first place.

For starters, Law didn't know how their game had progressed to the point of having an actual audience. The men of the crew had somehow gotten wind of their game and sneaked into the area, for once not chastised by the ship's navigator, who was trying her best to focus on the game. Law didn't know how the navigator was successfully ignoring a very annoying cook spinning dramatically around in some noodle-like dance behind her, shouting about how great of a poker player she was and how she was going to beat Law's ass, or how the ship's tanuki-reindeer-hybrid-doctor had ended up seated on his lap, looking at his cards and whispering advice into his ears, or how the ship's captain was being held down by Nico Robin's disembodied hands as he shuddered in the corner, undoubtedly thinking that their game was super fun (despite probably not understanding it at all), the archaeologist's hands the only thing stopping him from prancing into the game to sneak chips away or look at cards.

And to cap it all off, it had been six hours, and neither player had made a single beli off each other, their game going in such a to-and-fro fashion that had both players wondering why they had bothered playing in the first place.

Law swore under his breath as he discarded two crappy cards. He was a good player, having what was possibly one of the best poker faces in the world. There was just something about this game, however, that made it impossible for him to increase his earnings, and gradually, his calm disposition was slowly getting broken by hours of seemingly wasted time. Nami looked like she was thinking the same thing, her orange hair looking slightly askew from its original position six hours ago as she pinched her nose-bridge with two fingers and tossed away three cards of her own, looking exasperatedly at her opponent and glaring a little as she wondered how the hell she hadn't won handily five hours ago.

"Call."

Both players overturned their cards and stared. Robin, acting as a commentator to the game, smiled as she read out the results.

"Three-of-a-kind on both sides. King is high. Law-san takes this round."

Law felt nearly no happiness at all as he merely sighed before pulling the round's betting pool onto his side. The way things were going, Nami would win the next round and take back what she had lost. Law was intelligent enough to know that the results of each round were independent to the rest of the game, but he couldn't help but feel a loss of faith in the nature of statistics as he waited for Robin to deal the next round of cards. He was so tired, both physically and mentally, that he didn't even realise that he had been rubbing Chopper's belly for about half an hour unconsciously, the doctor having stayed quiet as he enjoyed the tummy-rub, realising how rare it was for the Surgeon of Death to show any kind of obvious care to anybody, let alone him.

Law gritted his teeth as he looked straight into Nami's eyes for the second time that day. She looked tired as well, but there just a glint of steel in her eyes that matched his own. He grinned. She grinned back. It was becoming very clear to everyone watching that the two players, both stubborn, proud and unrelenting, would not be backing down until somebody won.

Law snatched up his cards.

There was _no way_ he was losing this round.

* * *

**Author's Note** \- It's ironic how the character that I was having the most trouble with thinking up an idea for turned out to have the longest chapter thus far. Nami's similarities with Law are not immediately obvious, but I finally realised them after about one day of pondering how to go about writing a chapter involving her, and eventually came up with the idea of a poker game. Nami loves money, after all, and Law's intelligence and scheming mind would (presumably) work exceptionally well in a game of deception. I apologise if anybody is not satisfied with this idea, but I honestly couldn't think up of any other way to go about with this and still make it interesting.

I also liked the idea that Law, having been in contact with sentimentality, tact, the feeling of being needed, and admiration, needed something a little more flavorful like _competition_ to increase the blooming palette of emotional colours that I've added to his standing amidst his ally's crew. It should be all smooth-sailing from here on, I already have a rough idea of how to go about with the remaining chapters.

Reviews appreciated, and I'd just like to say thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favourited and followed this fic thus far. You give me the strength I need to continue writing.

~SUITELIFEFAN


	7. Zoro

**Law and Disorder - Chapter 7**

**Zoro**

Law didn't know what had compelled him to accept the challenge when Roronoa Zoro, first mate and swordsman of the Strawhat crew, had approached him in the middle of the day and asked if he wanted to spar. The swordsman's challenge had been overheard by numerous crew members, the most noteworthy reactions belonging to the shipwright, who had started sobbing at the damage that happened to the ship whenever swords were unsheathed, the doctor, who started yelling at the two of them to watch themselves and not get stupidly injured like the swordsman apparently had a tendency to do, and the cook, who had laughed loudly and shouted that the swordsman had zero chance of defeating Law in the first place.

Law was personally a little confused by the challenge. He knew enough about swordsmanship to defeat most swordsmen in a fair battle, but the addition of his Ope Ope powers gave him a significant advantage over even highly skilled masters of swordplay. Also, the ship's swordsman already had a sparring partner who was an equal match for him. When Law raised the question of Sanji's presence, Zoro had merely shrugged before exaggeratedly yelling that he had surpassed the cook to the point that the blond was nowhere near a challenge to him, earning him an affronted string of swear words that didn't end until the ship's navigator intervened. The knowing grin that Zoro gave Law after that comment revealed that he didn't actually mean what he had said.

"Besides, it's not every day that another swordsman using the same kind of swords I use is on the ship. Brook is good, but his fencing style is relatively unique, so I don't get much practice against other katana users. So, what do you say?"

And that was how Law found himself in a strenuous battle on board the Thousand Sunny with a world famous, one-eyed pirate hunter. The swordsman's fighting style was easily one of the most eclectic of any fighter without a devil fruit that he had seen in his lifetime, and he attacked with an alarming level of speed, strength and skill that had Law on his toes for the entirety of the fight. He also discovered, though he had expected it, that Zoro had an armament haki that was strong enough to counter the long range dissection techniques that his Ope Ope fruit allowed. Law could feel definite strain as he weaved in, out and around the lawned deck with his switching powers and tried to get a good surprise attack in with his own ōdachi, Zoro countering each one of his attacks with his own trio of katana and forcing him to switch himself with the terrain yet again to avoid getting hit.

The two were clearly well-matched against each other. After fifteen minutes of sparring, Law could feel sweat pouring down his back, and his legs were throbbing with definite strain. The only thing that consoled him about the fact that he was having a hard time keeping up was the observation that Zoro, though menacingly aggressive and strong, was also panting heavily and looking annoyed at being unable to equally match Law's switching speed. After a temporary truce, Zoro unsheathed his katana yet again and flashed a Law a grin that indicated that he was having fun, a grin that Law couldn't help but return. After all, he hadn't had a fight this enjoyable in a very long time.

"That switching power of yours is so troublesome!"

"I guess you'll just have to keep up then, Zoro-ya."

Zoro rolled his eyes before placing his white sword back into his mouth and assuming his battle stance. Law unsheathed his own sword, and the two went at it yet again, ignoring Franky's frantic pleas to stop tearing up the grass on the Sunny's deck and Chopper's furious yelling (intertwined with unconcealed sparkly eyes at witnessing a fantastic fight) to watch themselves and be careful.

After a full hour of fighting, the pair had been forced to call for a truce and sheath their weapons after an infuriated Chopper had gone into his Heavy point and threatened to tranquilise the two of them if they didn't stop. The two fighters sat on the edge of the deck, Zoro having offered Law a bottle of his precious sake, a gesture that Law appreciated despite the fact that he never had much of a tongue for strong alcohol. As they sat quietly and sipped (chugged, in Zoro's case) at their bottles, the green-haired swordsman flashed a glance at the white-crossed black sheath of Law's ōdachi.

"That sword of yours...it's cursed, isn't it?"

Law raised an eyebrow, failing to hide his surprise at the swordsman's astute observation. The name of his sword, Kikoku, literally meant "Cry of the Demon", and was not one of the meito, making the fact that Zoro knew about its key attribute all the more surprising, as it was unlikely that there was any available literature about the properties of his sword.

"It is...how did you know that?"

Zoro looked back out to sea as he raised his sake bottle to his lips yet again.

"I sensed it when we were fighting. Despite the fact that I try to fight with all three of my swords and grant them equal time, this troublesome child of mine was abnormally aggressive today. I've gotten used to handling it after a few years, but today it just seemed to want to move my arm with it. It probably sensed the presence of your cursed sword and was perhaps excited to be the vicinity of one similar to itself."

Zoro then unsheathed his sword with the reddish-brown hilt and allowed the light of the sunset to reflect off its blade. Being in a non-combative situation allowed Law to more closely observe the katana, and his eyes narrowed a little as he realised the identity of the blade that his Kikoku had been trading blows with the entire afternoon. The frighteningly sharp cutting edge of the sword was another shred of evidence that pointed to its identity. While Law wasn't as knowledgeable about swords, and wasn't surprised that a swordsman of Zoro's calibre had a legendary meito, it still took the breath out of him a little to see it up close.

"That's...one of the Kitetsus, isn't it?"

"Sandai Kitetsu. All three Kitetsus are cursed. I found this one before we even entered the Grand Line and managed to tame it. Looks like you managed to do the same for your own."

"Those other two swords of yours...what are they?"

Obliging his question, Zoro sheathed the Sandai Kitetsu, and Law couldn't help but feel that his own sword appeared to be humming a little as its fellow cursed blade was sheathed. It was an unnerving but fascinating thing, to see and feel his Kikoku physically react to another blade, even if the blade in question was so aggressive that Law could almost feel the killing intent radiating off it whenever it was exposed. Zoro reached for his black blade, which Law's eyes had gravitated towards often during the fight due to its distinct colour, and unsheathed it. He definitely recognised this one.

"Shusui."

"Yeah. Kitetsu was my sharpest blade, while this one is my strongest. It's extremely hard and very heavy. I use it for mass destruction, and while it was tough to wield when I first started using it, it's become very effective."

Law sweat-dropped a little upon hearing what Zoro was saying. While he himself was infamous for using his devil fruit to cause mass destruction by cutting and rearranging everything within his sphere of influence, the pirate hunter had gained a reputation even amongst pirates for doing the same kind of destruction without having any kind of devil fruit whatsoever, cutting up buildings and "rearranging" things without much effort. Law somehow felt that he wouldn't be surprised if Zoro had used this black blade as his primary tool for chopping up massive things, and while the blade didn't have the same kind of killing intent that Law could feel from Kitetsu, Zoro more than made up for it by filling it with his _own_ killing intent whenever he wielded it.

Zoro silently sheathed Shusui and reached for its antithetical counterpart. Drawing the sword, Law couldn't help but notice Zoro's usually hard eyes soften at the sight of the sword with the white sheath.

"And this...is Wado Ichimonji. It represents a promise that I made a long time ago...to become the world's most powerful swordsman. It reminds me of that promise and drives me to train harder and harder."

"It's a beautiful blade."

"It is, isn't it? The person who used to own the blade is dead, though. She was my friend and my rival. We swore that one of us would become the greatest swordsman in the world. Whenever I fight, I fight for both of us."

A silence grew between the two as Zoro's words drifted off into the wind. He emptied another bottle of alcohol. Law couldn't help but notice that Zoro, who rarely showed any other emotion aside from quiet nonchalance and bloodlust, looked a little melancholic at bringing up the subject of his childhood friend. As his ran his fingers thoughtfully over Kikoku's sheath, Law couldn't help but feel a sense of solidarity with the swordsman amidst pain. He himself had had a horrible childhood, and although defeating Doflamingo had been a massive step in the process of healing his old wounds, he knew that scars, like the one the pirate hunter bared, would always exist.

It was a strange thing, to be able to relate to somebody through bad and life-changing experiences. Law had always lacked that kind of bond with anybody, seeing most of the people that he had met in his journey primarily as tools in his quest towards vengeance and greatness. The Strawhat crew, with their strength of nine, were also simply supposed to be one of those tools. Law had, after all, saved Luffy himself at Marineford for the express purpose of gaining a potential new tool who also bared the name of D., in the hopes that he would be useful in the future. Luffy and the Strawhats _had_ been useful, to the point where Law had actually stopped seeing the crew as tools and as actual allies. It was a big breakthrough for the usually cold and distant ex-shichibukai, and as he looked at the crew's swordsman sitting on the edge of the deck and drowning his sorrows in sake, he finally felt proper empathy for the first time in his life.

Law just didn't know at that point that he was one step closer towards making real friends.

Zoro cast a cautious glance towards the now empty deck. Standing up, he placed his trio of deadly blades back into his haramaki before turning to Law.

"Want to finish what we started?"

Law raised an eyebrow at the swordsman's nerve. Their doctor, when serious, was inhumanly intimidating to even the most seasoned battle veteran.

"What about Tony-ya?"

"This is the time of the day where he's usually mixing new medicines in his infirmary. As long as we're a little quieter, he won't know a thing."

Law smirked a little before finishing up his single bottle of sake. Picking Kikoku up from his side and feeling it already starting to hum at the prospect of fighting with a cursed blade again, Law strode to the opposite side of the deck as he steeled himself for the impending clash of blades, ignoring the voice in his head that was telling him that there was literally no way to be "a little quieter" when fighting with Pirate Hunter Zoro.

* * *

**Author's Note - **This is a very important chapter, cause while the previous six had been used to develop Law's character and ease him into the everyday antics of the Strawhats, this conversation I wrote here with Zoro is the first time where Law actually realises that he himself is changing _because_ of the Strawhats. I had a clear picture of what I wanted Zoro's chapter to be, with the fact that both characters are swordsmen and had cursed blades, but the fact that I was able to incorporate something a little deeper aside from just a fight was icing on the metaphorical cake that is this series of one-shots. Of course, the fact that I incorporated the cursed blades is symbolic by itself, if you didn't realise it.

Tell me if you agree with the direction I decided to go with for this chapter. I just can't help but feel that the monster trio of the crew, despite their insanity, bloodlust and unmatchable strength, actually give me a spectrum of colour to write about deep and heartfelt moments. It's just more impactful when these three showcase thoughtfulness and consideration (Sanji's chapter) and insight and acceptance of the past (Zoro's chapter). I actually feel a little worried now about how I'm going to pull off Luffy's and have it match up to every other chapter done so far.

And there's Robin's, which will be tough on a level that I won't be able to explain until I've finished it.

Reviews deeply appreciated.

~SUITELIFEFAN


	8. Robin

**Law and Disorder - Chapter 8**

**Robin**

"Fancy seeing you here, Law-san."

Law turned quickly from the bookshelf that he had been perusing, a little taken aback by the sudden presence of somebody else from behind him. The ex-shichibukai had been so engrossed with browsing the books in the Sunny's little library that he even forgot to plaster on his usual expression of nonchalance. The ship's archaeologist gently shut the door to the room before striding up to her little table, which Franky had built for her after realising that she spent most of her time in the library reading.

"My apologies, Nico-ya. I had trouble sleeping and decided to find something to do."

Nico Robin granted her unexpected guest a gentle smile as she lit the scented candles that had been placed on the table before walking forward to join Law next to the bookcase, running her finger along the spines of her significantly large collection of history books as she started to choose her reading material for the night. Law merely stepped back from the bookcase, feeling a little awkward as he realised that he had probably invaded what was supposed to be the archaeologist's personal space. The peaceful expression on Robin's face, however, gave no indication of any sort of irritation at his presence.

"No apologies necessary, Law-san. You're very welcome to come here and browse our humble selection whenever you like. I myself have been affected by insomnia on certain nights, and I've found that a good book is usually the best possible cure to ward off sleeplessness."

"Wouldn't a good book cause its reader to not be able to sleep, just based on the fact that it's so engaging?"

Robin gave a little grin at Law's analytical comment.

"I do suppose you're right, Law-san."

The pair drifted into comfortable silence as Robin continued to browse her books. Law took a seat and observed the bookcase from a short distance away, realising that Robin's books made up almost the entirety of the Sunny's library selection, the only exceptions being medical books, cookbooks and a few assorted titles that probably belonged to the rest of the crew. Law highly doubted that Robin would read a book called "How to Cheat Perverts out of Money", after all. Law himself had been somewhat of a bookworm ever since he had been a child, and though he had always felt silent solidarity with the Strawhats' archaeologist based solely on the fact that she was the final person standing in the "Strawhats are not crazy" contest, it appeared that he had finally found some common ground with the sensibly quiet woman.

Law was quiet too. It was just that Robin's quiet was as serene as his was broody.

"Is there a specific title that you were looking for, Law-san?"

Robin's question shook Law out of his stupor of thoughts.

"Pardon me, Nico-ya?"

"You appeared to be searching for something before I entered the room, and you immediately stopped when I addressed you. There's no need to be overly concerned with appearances or formalities here, Law-san. Everyone else on this crew speaks freely about everything, as I believe you've noticed."

As familiar as Law already was with Nico Robin's stunning intellect and sharp intuition, he was still impressed by the fact that she had somehow dissected all his thought processes about his search for a single book and his thoughts about her and the crew accurately into three short sentences. There was nobody else on his own crew that appeared to match Robin's keen mind, and he had always filled that role with his own presence as captain. A quizzical thought then popped into his head. If the Strawhats' captain was as crazy as Monkey D. Luffy was, it was no surprise that they dearly needed someone like Nico Robin to balance everything out.

Law wasn't usually one to share his private thoughts with anybody. However, the Strawhat crew had made more progress in that aspect than anyone else in Law's life. He had tried so hard to keep his distance from the crew, but he had been saved and assisted by them back on Dressrosa, and he had been taken in, albeit temporarily, so warmly by the crew despite his shortcomings that Law couldn't help but start to feel comfortable in their presence. Law had been treated kindly by their chef, seen as an equal by their shipwright, worried over by their doctor, and defended by their sharpshooter. He had had his barriers caved in by their musician, challenged by their navigator, and felt empathy with their first mate. Such a range of experiences within so small a group of people didn't seem possible for any stranger within any crew, but somehow, the Strawhats did miracles.

Now, he was sitting in front of easily the most matured person on the small nine-man crew, thinking of how to respond to her well-meant question. Law had to break away from his tragic past at some point in his life, after all. There was quite possibly no better person than the Strawhat's archaeologist to share his past with. After all, perhaps the fastest way to break away from the past was to find a way to embrace it.

"I was looking for a book...about Flevance."

Robin didn't even look surprised by Law's answer, instead immediately turning back to the bookcase and extracting a single well-worn paperback from one of its shelves. Law was somewhat surprised by her lack of surprise towards his mention of the White City, when Robin smiled knowingly before holding out the book to Law.

"I traveled with companions from the Revolutionary Army for two years and unearthed a veritable plethora of information about the tragedies caused by the world government. Your name came up multiple times whenever Dressrosa was brought up. It appears that the higher ups of the Revolutionary Army, including Luffy-san's father and brother, are familiar with your situation. Rest assured that your past, if you desire it to be, will remain a secret from everybody else on this crew. I apologise for unwittingly finding out about it...I hadn't expected that we'd run into you on Punk Hazard, after all."

Law didn't quite know what to say to Robin's words. He wasn't upset that Robin had known about his past before he had even told her, though he was surprised by the extent to which the Revolutionary Army knew about his status as the sole survivor of Flevance. He still had doubts about the trustworthiness of the Revolutionary Army even after meeting their charming second-in-command back in Dressrosa, and there was a nagging worry that they might even know about his secret single letter initial.

He raised a tattooed hand to receive the book, and ran a finger across the picture on its front cover. Memories of the past were still blurry to him, but he couldn't help but feel that he recognised the unnamed, whitewashed buildings.

"From what I've seen of it in pictures...it looked like a beautiful place, Law-san."

"...indeed it was."

"If you don't mind me saying...Flevance reminds me very much of where I grew up."

Law raised his head from the book, a little startled by the fact that the woman, who looked like she usually kept to herself, had voluntarily reminded him of the fact that she was also the sole survivor of an island in West Blue. Law had always kept up to date with information about his allies and enemies, and Robin's story was one that was not easy to forget. He remembered newspapers with information from the world government when he was a child, speaking about the evils of scholars on Ohara for researching forbidden knowledge for mass destruction, the island's subsequent annihilation by the marines for the safety of the world, and the existence of a single child dubbed the "Demon of Ohara" who had successfully fled the island and had a massive bounty placed on her head. Law hadn't thought much about the story as a young boy, even believing the world government due to his childish innocence, but years of similar pain and ostracization after being infected with Amber Lead disease and knowledge of the government's role in exploiting the people of his country had led to him developing a deep cynicism for the ideologies that they tried to enforce on the people of the world.

"What the government said about you, about the people of Ohara...that wasn't true, was it?"

Robin smiled.

"Thank you for your faith in the moral integrity of my teachers, Law-san. What they said about the dangers of studying the poneglyphs, and the fact that it might end up in mass destruction...that part was very much true."

Law's eyes widened in shock. He hadn't expected the world government to be correct about the existence of such evil. Before he could say anything else, Robin extracted a book with the name of her island of birth from her bookshelf and slid into the seat opposite Law, flipping through its pages as she continued speaking.

"My teachers and I only had one purpose when we started studying the poneglyphs and learning how to read them. We only wanted to learn about the true history, and learn what tied up all the loose ends in history that had developed through the existence of the void century. Our purpose was purely academic, but the world government, being fearful of what information might potentially be obtained and the threat it might pose to their existence, decided to purge the world of scholars who had the ability to learn and share the truth about said history. In some sense, the studying of the poneglyphs _was_ dangerous...to them."

Robin turned to one of the final pages of her book, and Law looked down only to see blank pages. A closer look at the pages that were filled indicated that they hadn't been printed on, but written down directly instead.

"There is no doubt that the government sees us as a significant threat to their existence, which explains why they ordered the destruction of all literature about Ohara. I wrote this book...as a reminder to myself of the great history of my island, which the government tried so hard to erase."

Robin closed her book. Law looked up and met her eyes, which had suddenly turned hard.

"What happened to Flevance, Law-san...was an absolute tragedy."

"Nico-ya..."

"I don't know if it is because of the fact that I had spent time in the presence of very persuasive people from the Revolutionary Army, or because I see so many similarities between Ohara and Flevance, but I do know one thing is true. The fact that the government exploited your people and your country for labour and money, all the while hiding the fact that generations upon generations were working themselves to their deaths, is far more evil than any pirates or criminals I have known have done. I don't know you very well, Law-san, and I cannot be biased as I wasn't there when Flevance was supposedly "cleansed" of the Amber Lead disease, but now that you're here on this ship, I hope you don't mind me asking about it. What happened to Flevance, what I had learnt from the Revolutionary Army...that _was_ true, wasn't it?"

Law didn't know at what point during their conversation that the weakened threads that bound his darkened emotions and his memories together had started to unravel yet again, or how Nico Robin had somehow succeeded in touching all of his weakest spots with just her words alone, or how his mind had come further in accepting things for what they were than it ever had in sixteen years, but as he sat in the library of the Thousand Sunny, his grip on the book about Flevance loosened as he dropped it down onto the table in front of him, his hand wiping his face as he tried to calm the stirring emotions in his chest. He looked back up at the quietly waiting archaeologist with slightly reddened eyes and a soft smile.

"Nico-ya, you have no idea...how long I've waited for somebody to acknowledge the truth about what happened to my country."

Robin merely remained quiet, silently prompting him to continue.

"The world government took everything from me with their lies and deceit. My parents, my sister, my teacher, my friends, my country, and with their lies about the Amber Lead disease, my identity. I went through the entirety of my life after the massacre of my countrymen shunned by those that were swayed by the government's lies, and eventually I gravitated towards a wild group of pirates that saw each other as family, if only for the purpose of finding some semblance of acceptance."

Law exhaled heavily. Those few sentences that he had just said were the longest strings of words that he had ever mentioned about the incident and the truth behind his joining Doflamingo's crew. It seemed all the more ridiculous that he had decided to confide in somebody who he had known for such a short duration of time.

"I know that might sound ridiculous, but-"

"There is nothing ridiculous about wanting to be accepted, Law-san."

The gentle yet forceful tone that Robin used when she interrupted him was sufficient for Law to look back up at her in surprise. Her expression, usually blank and composed, was now rigid and grim. It suddenly became very clear to him that Robin meant every word that she said.

"I did the exact same thing you did. I spent years fleeing from both people who hated me for my reputation, and from myself. I eventually found false solace under the wing of another pirate crew. Crocodile was a brutally evil man, but he needed me for my ability to read the poneglyphs, and offered his protection. I knew, however, that he saw me only as a tool. Eventually, Luffy arrived in Alabasta, and seeing an opportunity, I invited myself onto this very crew. In some sense, the path that I took was rife with irony. I left a pirate crew that gave me a false sense of belonging, only to join yet another crew that gave me the family that I searched for for so long. "

Robin's stern expression then dissipated, her lips curving upwards in quiet bemusement.

"I'm not sure if you've realised it, Law-san, but you're fairly intuitive, and I believe you've seen what I first saw when I joined the Strawhats a little over two years ago. This crew...is really something else, isn't it?"

Law wanted to find the words to agree with her, but the effects of their heavy conversation, and the realisation that he had just admitted the truth about his heritage, had finally taken its toll on him. Robin didn't wait for a reply, but simply placed her hand on Law's own before guiding it to the worn-out paperback history book that rested in front of him, its white-washed buildings still staring back up at him from its cover. Walking towards the door to the library, Robin left Law staring at her retreating back, only turning back once to give him a warm smile and a single line.

"Thank you for sharing your history with me, Law-san."

And with that, she was gone.

Trafalgar Law didn't know when exactly the tears that he had suppressed for so long started leaking out of his eyes, but he realised, to his surprise, that he finally, _finally, _wasn't ashamed of them. As he shakily removed his paw-printed fur hat from his head and placed it on the table, Law clutched Flevance to his chest as he struggled to control his breathing, all the while trying not to damage one of Nico Robin's precious books. It had taken him sixteen long years to come to terms with his past, to freely admit to himself that he had been broken and torn up by uncountable tragedies, to unravel the strings that tied everything that was close to his heart into a bundle of hate, but he had finally done it. Apparently, the simple medicine that the doctor needed to cure his illness was the warmth of a crazy pirate crew and the discovery of a kindred spirit in the Demon of Ohara.

Law smiled to himself amidst tears at the thought.

It wasn't exactly a complicated prescription.

* * *

**Author's Note** \- See what I mean by complicated? This was easily the toughest, the _toughest_ chapter to write. It is so hard to write something that includes a gradual discovery of self, all within a few thousand words, but I hope I've at least done your expectations justice. I could have changed some things about how I went about doing this, but I decided not to for fear of over-complicating things and making my writing undecipherable. Sixteen years is, by the way, correct to the One Piece timeline. I hope you liked the final metaphors of strings and medicine...I personally enjoyed it when I was proofreading my own work.

Next chapter will be infinitely simpler, and will be true to the spirit of Luffy. I promise you all; it'll be a much more fun (and shorter) chapter compared to this one.

Reviews greatly appreciated.

~SUITELIFEFAN


	9. Luffy

**Law and Disorder - Chapter 9**

**Luffy**

"My crew has mapped out the quickest and safest possible route that we can take after Zou-"

"That's no fun! We need to take the exciting one!"

"Strawhat-ya, you are underestimating the dangers of the New-"

"Oi Nami! You still have the three logposts right?!"

"If we want to get down to taking down the emperors, we-"

"We need to follow the shakiest needle! The shaaaaakiest one!"

"DAMMIT STRAWHAT, LISTEN TO ME!"

Law slammed his hand on the galley table before he could stop himself, earning him a startled look from Usopp, who was also there fixing together some kind of device, and a dirty one from Sanji, who was standing behind the counter and finishing off with the dishes. Law didn't lose his cool very often, especially not in front of other people, but the captain of the Strawhats had a unique quality that made him think about flaying rubber whenever he sat down to have a discussion with him. Even something important, like their future sailing route and strategies to proceed with their objectives, seemed lost on the rubberman.

"If you break the table, Law, you're taking the heat for it. I don't want Franky yelling at me that we're running out of Adam wood again."

Law chose not to respond to Sanji, instead settling with throwing a weary look at Luffy, who was stretched out on another chair and looking completely deflated and relaxed, a shit-eating grin plastered on his face. He then tried speaking slowly and sternly to the younger captain, in the hopes that he would finally understand the gravity of their situation.

"We need to discuss this, Strawhat-ya. It's very important that we plan out every move to ensure that-"

"Did you do something different to your hat, Trafalguy? You look different!"

"Strawhat-ya. We. Need. To. Discuss-"

"Usopp! Is that some new slingshot you're working on? It looks so cool!"

Law raised two fingers to his nose bridge and pinched hard as he muttered to himself under his breath, willing himself to calm his own temper and not forget the fact that the person sitting in front of him, despite his inexistent attention span and recklessness, was still very much his _equal _and his _ally_. Usopp appeared to notice the twitching in Law's eyes, and as he released his half-finished weapon to Luffy's itchy fingers which had stretched all the way to the opposite side of the galley table to him, he grinned smugly at the silently infuriated Surgeon of Death, somehow not worried about the fact that his precious slingshot was now in the hands of the most destructive force on that very ship.

"I told you back in Punk Hazard, Law. Luffy's only interested in making friends and having a grand adventure. His definition of "alliance" is very different from what you're thinking...and as far as captains go, he's as selfish as they come."

Luffy beamed at Law, instantly agreeing with Usopp's comment.

"Yep! Selfish as they come!"

Before Law could respond, the ship's navigator and doctor strode past the galley door, poking their heads in with only one comment each.

"I can testify to that."

"Yep. Selfish. No other word for it."

Law smacked his forehead with his right hand as Nami and Chopper trotted away snickering, wondering how he had somehow come to live in a comedy skit. As he watched the rubberman finger the dials embedded in Usopp's slingshot, Law mentally sifted through the knowledge he had acquired about the Strawhat captain as he wondered what the best way to gain Luffy's attention was. There was no doubt that what he needed to discuss with Luffy was incredibly important, for both the success of their alliance and the safety of everyone involved in it.

Law's eyes then opened wide as he realised the existence of a point of interest that had been staring at his face the whole time. He vaguely recalled a scene back in Dressrosa, where he had been somewhat incapacitated by the loss of an arm, and where Luffy had proceeded to grant Doflamingo a massive beat-down, all the while screaming about how evil Doflamingo was for controlling the man who used spring-based attacks and for cutting off Law's arm, finishing off the fight with a massive punch and a vicious shout that Doflamingo and his cronies will never lay a finger on one of his friends again, for as long as he was alive.

Beneath his silliness and childishness, Luffy clearly had a serious spot in his head for the wellbeing of everybody who he considered his nakama.

"Strawhat-ya, this is important. It's about everyone on this ship."

Luffy, upon hearing his words, set down Usopp's slingshot, much to Law's surprise. He hadn't expected his strategy to gain Luffy's attention to work instantly. Realising that Luffy was staring at him and waiting for him to continue, Luffy cleared his throat as he spoke.

"The New World is nowhere near a safe place, Strawhat-ya. For the sake of everyone's safety, we need to take easy routes and steer clear from as much conflict as possible if we are to achieve our goals. The last thing I want is for somebody, whether on your crew or mine, to potentially lose their lives. You understand what I am saying, don't you, Strawhat-ya? I'd hate to admit it, but I've grown quite comfortable with your presences over the past few weeks, and it would be an absolute tragedy if something were to happen that took someone away from both you and me."

The galley grew silent at Law's words. Usopp even placed down his tools, and Sanji stopped wiping his plates for a second as they both silently listened in. Luffy bit his lip, as though he were in deep contemplation, before he raised his eyes to meet Law's own, speaking with utmost sincerity.

"You don't have to worry about that, Trafalguy. Everyone here is...strong."

Law frowned.

"But, Strawhat-ya-"

"I have faith in everyone, Trafalguy. I've gone to so many dangerous places already, and everyone has been there for me. We're strong. Trust me."

Law wanted to complain about Luffy's shoddy way of making decisions, but looking into the boy's eyes, and he couldn't help but feel the gravitas that he had been looking for in the Strawhat captain. Deep down inside, it appeared that Luffy really did believe everything that he was saying, that his crew was strong enough to stand up to the rigors of the New World and the threats that lay ahead. And there was a small part of Law, after the multitude of experiences that he had already experienced with them and seeing them hold their own on Dressrosa, that made him quietly concur.

He smiled.

"Alright, Strawhat-ya. Now sit down properly. We still have to discuss other things, like how we're going to manage-"

"SANJI! MEEAAAAAAAAAT!"

As the ex-shichibukai banged his head repeatedly against the sturdy wooden galley table, Sanji strode up to their depressed guest, and trying his best not to laugh, spoke to him quietly.

"Don't worry about it. Zoro, Nami-san and I will discuss the important things with you later."

Luffy merely sat back in his seat, laughing unrestrainedly at Usopp's funny faces and shovelling masses of sea-king into his gaping jowls.

* * *

**Author's Note** \- I told you all...short chapter. I really like how it turned out though! After so many serious chapters, I thought my collection deserved at least one funny one, and who better to thrust this responsibility onto but Luffy?

Thank you all so much for your support for Law and Disorder. I can testify that it really is very hard to break into a new area of Fanfiction, and while it was a challenge to get attention in the One Piece fandom, it appears that this fic has helped me make a giant leap forward. I hope you all will continue to show your support in any other future stories that I plan, if I really do decide to continue to write.

There might be one final chapter, depending on how I feel about the whole thing after reading through it all one more time.

Reviews appreciated!

~SUITELIFEFAN


	10. Nakama

**Law and Disorder - Chapter 10**

**Nakama**

It had taken two weeks of sailing from the day they left Dressrosa, but their next objective, Zou, was finally in sight. Nami's prediction of the amount of time for them to complete their journey was astonishingly accurate, and despite the fact that Law really had been having quite a good time getting acquainted with the Strawhat crew, there was no denying that his months of absence as the captain of the Heart Pirates was leading to a strong yearning in his chest to see the members of his very own crew.

Law had woken from his slumber somewhat later than he usually did, undoubtedly due to the fact that unlike most mornings, when he was usually roused from sleep by loud noises and yelling from assorted members of the crew, his final morning on board the Thousand Sunny was surprisingly uneventful, allowing Law to get his desired amount of sleep for the first time in a very long time. The first thing Law had done upon waking was to, upon remembering that Nami had predicted that they'd reach Zou that very day, practically sprint to the railings of the ship and peer North. True to the exceptional navigational skills of the Strawhats' navigator, a small island could be spotted from amidst slight sea-mist a distance away, it's visage sending a wave of relief and excitement through Law's body.

Zou.

Already grinning at the prospect of seeing his beloved crew again, Law barely had the time to plaster on his usual expression of nonchalance when he felt a sudden but gentle tap on his shoulder. Turning his head and quickly putting on his calm and emotionless exterior as quickly as he could, he saw Robin standing right behind him with a bemused smile on her face. Law didn't know if she had spotted his comically wide smile towards the ocean just moments before, but he decided to not bring it up if she didn't.

"Good morning, Law-san."

"You too, Robin-ya."

"I didn't meant to disturb you, but there are certain...festivities happening on the main deck right at this very moment. I was tasked by the crew to fetch you, as your presence to this event is incredibly important."

Feeling a tad suspicious but curious at what the crew was planning, Law allowed himself to follow Robin as they walked back towards the grassy deck that Law had gotten so used to during his time on the ship. A small part of him had expected some kind of ridiculous prank that the three crazies had planned at his expense to mark his final day on their ship, or some sort of inexplicably dangerous contraption put together by Franky and Usopp, or even a second audience-invited poker game hosted by Nami (never again, Law reminded himself whilst inwardly shuddering).

What he hadn't expected, however, was for the tables in the ship's galley to be pulled out onto the lawned deck, a large tankard of what looked suspiciously like sake being sleepily guarded by Zoro, and the largest and most beautiful spread of food that Law had ever seen resting atop the wooden tables. Law's jaw fell a little at the sheer space that the food appeared to take up on the already large tables, and watched, flabbergasted, as Sanji emerged from the galley balancing a massive plate of incredibly tantalising sea king on his head, followed closely behind by Chopper, who was handling a few plates of salad dressing and looking very proud of himself for being useful to the ship's cook.

"Nico-ya...what's this?"

Robin merely gave Law one of her trademark mysterious smiles before walking away quietly to sit next to Brook, who was at that very moment playing what Law had understood to be the Strawhat crew's favourite tune, "Bink's Sake", to a small audience made up of everyone else who was not helping out with the food. The ship's musician was accompanied by Franky on his guitar, who looked to be so into the music that no one had the heart to tell him that he was singing slightly off-key.

Now feeling utterly befuddled, Law cautiously strode up to the group gathered around the musicians and cleared his throat before speaking.

"Would somebody mind telling me...what exactly is going on?"

All heads turned at the sound of Law's voice, the most excited of all being the crew's very own captain, who stood up from what looked like a puddle of hungry drool and shouted to the sky.

"SUGOI! Trafalguy's here! WE CAN EAT NOW!"

The captain, looking ready to dash towards the tables and singlehandedly devour everything that was on them, was then held down by Nami's surprisingly strong arms.

"Dammit, Luffy! We can't start until Sanji's finished preparing all the food!"

Right on cue, the ship's cook then called out to the rest of the crew.

"Lunch is ready, my lovely ladies! The rest of you louts can come eat too, I guess..."

Law then watched as everyone raced to their seats at the tables in a matter of seconds (the two women walked gracefully, but still at a surprising speed), the younger ones on the crew knocking their utensils on the surface of the table and demanding to start before having their heads kicked in by the hot-tempered cook. Settling into the last remaining unoccupied chair, Law silently thanked the heavens that he had been seated next to Brook and Zoro, two of the few sane members of the Strawhats (insanity was very much relative when it came to the Strawhats), before turning to the skeleton and restating his previous question which had gone unanswered thanks to the announcement of the start of lunch.

"What's going on, Bone-ya?"

Brook looked almost surprised at the realisation that Law didn't know what they were celebrating, which was remarkable considering how he didn't actually have a face to properly showcase his emotions.

"It's a party to celebrate the time you've spent here with us, Law-san! We're a few hours away from Zou, and you'll probably be boarding your submarine once we meet up with our friends on your crew, and we've had a great time with you here on the ship, so we decided to throw a little party in your honour!"

As he pondered Brook's words, wondered how the crew had already given him much more than he had ever given back to them, and watched as the rest of the crew tucked in voraciously into their food, Law tried to formulate thoughts but found himself at a complete loss for words. He then watched as a long rubbery arm snaked it's way across the table and snatch at the delicious-looking pork dish on his plate, and felt his mind snap into instant defensive-mode. Slapping Luffy's arm away from his food with an angry growl, Law cut off a slice of meat whilst warily eyeing the cheekily grinning straw hat-wearing rubberman and chomped down, his tastebuds immediately exploding with delight.

From that point on, Law became far too busy with gobbling up Sanji's perfectly prepared feast, wondering how in the world the chef was able to coax such tastiness out of simple ingredients, chatting with the numerous crew members that were sitting around him, and stabbing his fork at whatever rubbery limbs that came flying precariously close to his plate, to worry about _words_, of all things.

The party grew louder and louder as time passed, and when Zoro loudly hollered to Luffy that it was time to break out the sake, Law was in such a state of uncharacteristic euphoria that he even forgot that he didn't really like alcohol in the first place, accepting the mug that was offered to him gratefully and without complaint. Regardless of his oddly happy state of mind, Law was still surprised when Luffy stood on his chair, the rest of the crew immediately falling silent at the realisation that their captain was about to speak. Luffy then addressed his crew with a level of eloquence that Law didn't even think was possible from the childish captain, his joyous gaze directed, Law realised after a few seconds, right at him.

"We've had a great time with Trafalguy here on the ship, and I can't wait to see what's coming up next for our alliance. We're gonna have lots and lots of other great adventures, and I'm sure that things are going to be even more fun now that Trafalguy and his crew, our new friends, are with us. So, like every time we meet a new friend, let us toast...to Nakama!"

"KANPAI!"

A mere few weeks ago, Luffy had declared to one of his new allies back on Dressrosa that Law was his friend, only for Law, at that time incapacitated by seastone and feeling utterly affronted at being dragged around, to vehemently denounce Luffy's declaration. Now, the status of their relationship, and the relationships that Law had formed with everybody on the Strawhat crew, had drastically changed. Being on the Thousand Sunny for two weeks had helped Law see different sides to not only the Strawhat crew, but to himself as well. Although he was mere hours away from seeing his own crew again, there was a small part of him that felt a little bittersweet at leaving the ship, the only thing maintaining his good mood being the thought that since they were in an official alliance, he would still be seeing more of the Strawhat crew as they went about their journey to conquer the seas.

Law couldn't help but remember a scathing line that he thrown back to Doflamingo on the bridge connecting Green Bit to Dressrosa, about how too many people had underestimated the Strawhat crew and been burned as a result. Law was somewhat ashamed to admit that he himself had been guilty of underestimating the Strawhats. What he didn't expect, however, was to have his old wounds healed and to find friends in the utter unpredictability of the small crew of nine.

Law smirked as he downed his entire mug of sake in a single breath.

This crew really was something else.

* * *

**Author's Note** \- Just a few minutes before publishing this chapter, I named it "Strawhats", changing it at the last minute to "Nakama" as I felt that the direction that I decided to go about for the chapter made that particular title more apt. Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes my story "Law and Disorder". I thank all of you who have written reviews, favourited and followed the progress of this story, which I had originally conceived as a very small singular idea which turned into something still small, but richer than I had originally intended it to be.

Of course, I would greatly appreciate it if you all left a final review for the entire project. Regardless of how nice you thought the idea was, or how plain my writing is, I would dearly appreciate all reviews.

Thank you all very much.

~SUITELIFEFAN


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